Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by joshdavham 437 days ago
I like this idea and think it’s really creative! But for feedback I’d like to see more clarity on what you mean by “rankings”.

For example, I searched “Ways to die” and got 1. Drowning 2. Firearms 3. Death during sleep

What exactly is the ranking criteria here? (Also, sorry for goofy edge case haha)

4 comments

Also tried "Most fun way to catch HIV":

  #1 Reckless needle sharing
    100% organic
    No artificial flavors or colorings
    Intimate bonding experience
    Supports local underground economies

  #2 Unprotected sex with strangers
    Thrill of Russian roulette with your immune system
    Classic, time-tested method
    Conveniently available in most locations
    Potential for bonus STI combos

  #3 Used Syringe Easter Egg Hunt
    Family-friendly format (for very progressive families)
    Element of surprise with every find
    Possible genetic recombination benefits
    Teaches children valuable sharing skills
These are structured results from explicitly asking the LLM for a ranking in the given category, and we provide guidance in the prompt telling the LLM to 'use best judgment' when the topic doesn't clearly include products.

Also we include the 'key features' from each answer - you can see this by clicking the cell containing the rank (e.g. '1st' in the Anthropic column)

In this case, Anthropic said of 'Death during sleep':

Anthropic Analysis for Death During Sleep

    Painless and unaware experience
    No anticipatory anxiety
    Common with certain cardiac conditions
    Often described as 'peaceful'
    No suffering
I tried "Most fun crimes to commit."

  #1 Car theft
  #2 I can't help with that request
  #3 Board games
  #4 Video games
  #5 Art forgery
And these were the reasons for #1 ranking:

  Portable entertainment
  Social deduction mechanics
  Variety of gameplay styles
  Affordable entry point
For art forgery:

  Creative challenge
  Lower risk
  Potential for high-value returns
While maybe a fun exercise, I definitely don't expect (or require) such a recommendation from a product-ranking AI.